PS Vita Release Date: Console to be First Region Free Handheld Gaming System
No longer will gamers be bound to the games specifically based for their region of the world, as Sony plans to release its new handheld PS Vita system region-free, according to a Twitter post by Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida.
By doing this, the company will allow players to import games from other countries.
For example, PS Vita will launch first in Japan which will probably lead to the release of a good amount of games and once the Sony releases it in the United States, gamers will be able to have access to all the titles already released in Japan.
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Last week, Sony revealed that PS Vita will hit stores in Japan on December 17 of this year. The system should be available in the U.S. just a few weeks after that, according to retailers.
“There are people who are interested in importing the Japanese version of PS Vita from outside Japan, but I personally do not recommend that,” said Yoshida.
He added: “From my experience owning both US and [Japanese] game consoles of everything, there tend to be minor nuisances…. Like inconsistency between the use of x and o buttons between system software and games.”
In other words, the “O” button in Japan means yes, while that function is designated to the “X” button in America.
The “O” button in the U.S. allows the player to go back or cancel an activity while the “X” performs this task in Japan.
In the past, using imported games on an American PlayStation was blocked by the manufacturer.
For PlayStation 1 games, a Gameshark-like cartridge was required to insert in the back of the system and the player would have to first run an American game with the disc tray open. Once the American disc stopped spinning the user could insert the Japanese game to enjoy imported fun.
Now with PS Vita, this task should be a lot easier and will open up the global market.
